Toy cannon.



C. B. OSBORN.

TOY CANNON. APPLICATION rlLgo'luuszs. 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Mar. 14,

gvwewtm' WZQR 011-507.

THE COLUMBIA PWOGRAPH 10-, WASHINGTON, n. c.

C. B. OSBORN.

' TOY CANNON.

APPUCATION FILED JUNE 23.4915.

I Patented Mar. 14, 1

3 SHEETS-SHEET CARL B. OSBORN, OF SAN MARCOS, TEXAS.

TOY CANNON.

Application filed June 23, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CARL B. OSBORN, a citizenof the United States, residing at San Marcos, in the county of Hays andState of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Toy Cannon,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in toy cannons and has particularapplication to a magazine cannon.

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide a toycannon which will be found especially useful by children and wherebymarbles and analogous spherical objects may be fed to the barrel of thecannon automatically in the use of the cannon and fired from the barrelto the delight and entertainment of the child.

It is also my purpose to provide a magazine toy cannon wherein the rangeof the cannon may be varied so that objects at different distances fromthe cannon may be struck by the missiles discharged therefrom.

A further object of my invention is to improve and simplify the generalconstruction of devices of the class described and to provide a toycannon wherein the component parts will be so arranged and correlated asto reduce the possibility of derangement to a minimum, and which willoperate efliciently and elfectively for its intended purpose.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forthin and falling within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of amagazine toy cannon constructed in accordance with my present invention.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough. Fig. 3 is anenlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the barrel andassociated parts. Fig. 4: is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinalsectional view through the cannon, showing the mechanism controlling thedischarge of the missiles from the cannon. Fig. 5'is an enlarged sideelevation of the range varying mechanism. Fig. 6 is an end view of thesame. Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7+7 of Fig. 3. Fl". 8 is asimilar view on the line 88 of I ig. 4. Fig. 9 is a sectional view onthe line 99 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, 1 designates a wheeled carriagecomprising Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

Serial No. 35,832.

a body having a substantially horizontal front portion 2, a dependingportion 3 at one end of the front portion 1 and a rearwardly extendingsubstantially horizontal portion 4: projecting rearwardly from the lowerend of the depending portion 3. This body is preferably, although notnecessarily, formed of two strips of material 5 secured to each otherand held spaced apart by means of spacers 6, and secured to the body atthe juncture of the front portion 2 with he depending portion 3 is anaxle 7 and journaled upon the outer ends of the axle 7 are supportingwheels 8.

9 designates the barrel of the cannon, which barrel is in the form of anelongated tube having the upper surface thereof formed. at the breechend, with an opening 10. Slidably mounted within the breech end of thebarrel is a projector tube 11 having the discharge end thereof open andthe rear end closed by means of a cap 12 and formed in the projectortube 11 is an opening 13 adapted to register with the opening 10 in thebarrel when the projector tube is in normal position. Mounted upon thebarrel 9 is a relatively short magazine tube 1 1 having the front endthereof terminating behind the discharge end of the barrel and the rearend opening into the barrel by way of the opening 10 and formed with acurved end wall 15 acting to guide the marbles or other missiles in themagazine tube through the opening 10 and the opening 13 in registrationwith the opening 10 into the projector tube 11. Secured to the lowersurface of the barrel 9 is a tube 16 and slidably mounted within thetube 16 is a piston 17, While connected with the piston 17 is apropelling rod 18 projecting outwardly through the rear end of the tube16 and having the rear end thereof bent at right angles to itself andextended upwardly as at 19. The upwardly projecting portion 19 of thepropelling rod is connected with an eye 20 secured to the cap 12 closingthe rear end of the projector tube 11. Encircling the propelling rod 18within the tube 16 is a coiled expansion spring 21 having one endabutting the piston and the remaining extremity in engagement with therear end wall of the tube 16. In this instance, the tubes 14, 9 and 16are fastened to one another by means of straps and are mounted betweenthe strips at the front portion 2 of the body of the carriage andsecured to such strips,

having the forward end thereof formed with an upwardly extending arm 23arranged at an acute angle to the lever and pivotally connected to theupper end of the arm 23 is one end of a latching finger 24 projectingtoward the barrel of the cannon-and having the lower edge thereof,adjacent to the front.,end,"forined with a notch 25 adapted to engage apin 26 secured to the propellingrod 18 at the juncture-of the rear endof the rod with theupwardly extending por- (don-r119.

2.6wdesignates a leaf springhavin-g one end-fastened to the upper end ofthe arm andi't-heiremaining ead- .bearingagainst the upperledge of :thefinger 24, while 27 designates: a spring surrounding the pivot pm of:thefinger 22 and having one limb bearing against the arm 23 andtheremaining limb engaging the lower edge of the finger-'24. :Th-is spring27 is relatively weak as compared with the spring 26 and serves to'holdthe :finger'2l normally elevatedand in engagementwith the spring26; Pivctally connected with the finger-24:..is the upper end of avertical releaseirod 28 formed. with a .s'lot'29 within which worksawpin-30 i carried by the arm 23, such pin and slot serving to maintainthe rod 28 normally in vertical position tSecured to the inner surfaceof one of the" strips 5. and disposed in thev path of movement. of thelower end-0f the trip .rod'28 is aslug i In practice; the magazinetubesll is filled with marbles or similar missiles=and as the :opening 13 inthe projector tube. 11 is normally'in registration with the opening '10in the barrelythe marble at the rear .end of the.;magazine tube dropsinto the projectortubeand rests against thecap12 and holds the remainingmarbles in the magazine tube, theabarrelof the cannon beinginclinediupwardlyfrom :the breech end toward the dischargerend so that the marblein the projectorqtuhewil'l rest against- :the cap .12 and holdtheremaining marbles in the magazine tube. ."RVhen it is desired todischarge the marbles from the barrel, the lever 1-22 is swung upwardlyabout its pivotal connection-withlthe body and .in theupward movementofthe lever'22 the arm 23 is swung forwardly and the' forward end portionof the :lower edge of the finger 24 rides over the pin 26 and iselevated slightly-against the action of the spring 26'. 'Asthe finger 24continues to move. forwardly under-the actionv of the arm23 the notch 25drops into engagement withthe pin 26/ After the'pin 26 is engaged in thenotch 25. the lever 22 is swung downwardly and in thedownward movementofthe lever 22,;thearm 23 swings rearwardly and so pulls the finger 24 andthe tube 11. In the outward movement of the tube 11 the opening 13therein is moved out of registration with the opening 10, therebycutting off communication between the projector tube and the magazinetube so that the marbles in the magazine tube will be held therein.Simultaneously with the cutting off of communication between themagazine tube and the projectortube, the spring 21 surrounding thepropelling rod 18 in the tube 16 is compressed :incident to the outwardmovement of the propelling-rod and the piston 17 under the action of thelever 22. In the continued outward movement of the arm '23 the upper endthereof passesthe fulcrum point of the lever 22 and swings through thelower portion of the are and draws the linger'2/1 downwardly. In'

the downwardmovement of the finger 24 the lower end of the triprod 28engages'fthe lug 31 so that in the continued downward movement oftherear end portion of the finger 24, thGIOIW-flld end portion thereo'fwill be elevated with the effect-to release thepin :26. Immediately uponthe release of the pin 26 the spring 21 reacts anddraws-the pro- -jectortube. 11 back into the barrel and-"in this movement of the projectortube the flange on the. outer end of the cap 12 strikes the breech endof the barrel, therebystopping-the movement of the projector "tubesuddenly. Upon this sudden stopping of the projector tube, the missiletherein is dischargedtherefrom through the barrel 9 at the :target'andassoon as the 'missile'is discharged .fromthe projector tube, a secondmissile passes from the magazine tube through the alining openings '10and-13 into the projector tube so that the cannon may again be fired.

In the present instance, I have shown the magazine; tube 14, the barrelSand the tube 16 as mounted one above-the other and in this connection Iwish it to be. understood that these tubes may be arrangedside by' sidewithout departing'from the spirit of my invention.

The'means for varying the range of the cannon :comprises a substantiallyU-shaped yoke 32 embracing the rear end of the rearwardly proiectingportion 4 of the body and formed with forwardly projecting arms 33arranged upon the opposite sides of such portion 4 of the body andhavingthe forward ends thereof nivoted as at 34 to said portion 4.Formed in one leg of the'yoke "32 is a seriesof apertures35 extendinglongitudinally of such leg andarranged in an arc corresponding to thearc through which the yoke swings. These openings are adapted tointerchangea lyreceive a pin 36 carried by a spring finger 37 mountedwithin a groove 38 formed in the adjacent surface desired'to vary therange of the cannon, the yoke 32 is swung upwardly or downwardly,according as it is desired to increase or decrease the range, and whenthe desired adjustment has been made, the pin 36 is sprung into theadjacent aperture 35 under the action of the finger 37, the finger beingheld within the groove 38 in the swinging of the yoke. Then theadjustment has been made, it will be seen that the distance between theportion 4; of the body and the floor will have been varied so that thedischarge end of the barrel of the cannon will be elevated or lowered.In the present instance, one of the arms 33 is formed with an arcuateslot 89 struck frcm the pivot of such arm and disposed within the slot39 is a Stop pin 40 carried by the adjacent side of the rearwardlyprojecting porticn t of the body, such pin serving to limit the movementof the yoke 32.

While I have herein shown and described one preferred form of myinvention by way of illustration, I wish it to be understood that I donot limit or confine myself to the precise details of constructionherein described and delineated, as modification and variation may bemade within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a wheeled carriage, abarrel mounted upon said carriage and having the side wall thereofformed with an opening at the breech end, a projector tube slidablymounted within the breech end of said barrel and having the side wallthereof formed with an opening normally registering with thefirst-mentioned opening, a missile magazine tube secured to said barreland arranged longitudinally thereof and having the rear end portionopening into said projector tube through said alining openings wherebythe missiles will be fed into said projector tube, means for moving saidprojector tube outwardly of the breech end of said barrel wherebycommunication between said magazine tube and projector tube will be cutoff, and means for actuating said projector tube to discharge themissile therefrom upon the release of said tube.

2. A device of the class described comprising a wheeled carriage, abarrel mounted upon said carriage and having the side wall thereofformed with an opening at the breech end, a projector tube slidablymounted within the breech end of said barrel and having the side wallthereof formed with an opening normally registering with thefirstmentioned opening, a missile magazine tube secured to said barreland arranged longitudinally thereof and having the rear end portionopening into said proiector tube through said alining openings wherebythe missiles will be fed into said projector tube,

means for moving said projector tube outwardly of the breech end of saidbarrel whereby communication between said magazine tube and projectortube will be cut off, a propelling rod connected to said projector tube,and a spring acting upon said rod to prcpel said projector tube todischarge the missile therefrom upon the release of said tube.

3. A device of the class described comprising a wheeled carriage, abarrel mounted upon said carriage and having the side wall thereofformed with an opening at the breech end, a projector tube slidablymounted within the breech end of said barrel and having the side wallthereof formed with an opening normally registering with thefirstmentioned opening, a missile magazine tube secured to said barreland arranged longitudinally thereof and having the rear end portionopening into said projector tube through said alining openings wherebythe missiles will be fed into said projector tube, a lever, a connectionbetween said lever and projector tube whereby the latter will be movedoutwardly of the breech end of said barrel in the movement of said leverto cut off communication between said projector tube and magazine tube,means for disconnecting said lever from said tube, and means foractuating said tube to discharge the missile through said barrel uponthe breaking of the connection between said tube and lever.

41-. A device of the class described comprising a wheeled carriage, abarrel mounted upon said carriage and having the side wall thereofformed with an opening at the breech end, a projector tube slidablymounted within the breech end of said barrel and having the side wallthereof formed with an opening normally registering with thefirstmentioned opening, a missile magazine tube secured to said barreland arranged longitudinally thereof and having the rear end portionopening into said projector tube through said alining openings wherebythe missiles will be fed into said projector tube, a lever, meansoperable automatically in the movement of said lever to disconnect thelatter from said tube, and means for actuating said tube to dischargethe missiles therefrom through said barrel upon the breaking of theconnection between said projector tube and lever.

5. A. device of the class described comprising a support, a barrelmounted upon said support and having the side wall thereof formed withan opening at the breech end, a projector tube slidably mounted withinthe breech end of said barrel and having the side wall thereof formedwith an opening normally registering with the first-mentioned opening,means for feeding missiles through the alining openings in said barreland projector tube, means for moving said projector tube outwardly ofthe breech end of said barrel whereby the openings insaid projector tubeand barrel Will be moved out of registration with each other, and meansfor actuating said projector tube to discharge the missiles therefromupon the release of said'tube. V V

6'. A device of the class described comprising a support, a barrelmounted upon said support and having theside Wall there of formed Withan opening at the breech end, a projector tube sli-dably, mounted Withinthe breech end of said barreland having the side Wall thereof formedWith an opening normally registering with the 'first-menti.oned opening,a missile magazine tube securedto said barrel havingoneend portionopening lnto sa1d projector tube throughsaid: alining openings wherebythe missiles will be fed into said projector tube, means for moving saidprojector tube out ward'ly of the breech endof said barrel Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of' Patjents,

7 Washington, D. C.

